Conventionally, an internal electrode pattern used in a multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is a typical multilayer ceramic electronic component, is made of a metal paste by using a printing method such as screen printing or gravure printing. For example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H02-192707 shows a method for forming an internal electrode pattern by screen printing. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2004-111729 shows a method for forming an internal electrode pattern by gravure printing.
Particularly in recent years, multilayer ceramic capacitors have been required to have a smaller size and a higher capacitance. In order to make the multilayer ceramic capacitors have a higher capacitance, the ceramic layers and the internal electrode layers need to have a smaller thickness and be laminated in a larger number. However, the aforementioned printing methods often cause the printed internal electrode pattern to have a rough surface. When the internal electrode pattern is formed thin, the roughness of its surface causes the internal electrode layer to be discontinuous, so that the internal electrodes are isolated from each other, making it impossible to obtain a desired capacitance. Thus, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the internal electrode layer.